Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Up 0.1% – Should You Buy?

Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s stock price traded up 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $338.65 and last traded at $335.06. 866,515 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 5,091,530 shares. The stock had previously closed at $334.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CRM shares. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Salesforce from $300.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Salesforce from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Salesforce from $275.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $377.63.

Salesforce Trading Down 0.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $336.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $294.01. The company has a market capitalization of $319.13 billion, a PE ratio of 54.85, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.30.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $9.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.35 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 15.96%. Salesforce’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.62 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, insider R David Schmaier sold 1,785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $344.00, for a total transaction of $614,040.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,116 shares in the company, valued at $6,575,904. This represents a 8.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 436 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.28, for a total value of $144,874.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,057 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,899.96. This represents a 5.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,173,891 shares of company stock valued at $402,840,388. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Salesforce

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CRM. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its holdings in Salesforce by 300.0% in the third quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 120 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Annapolis Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Salesforce by 135.6% during the 3rd quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 139 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Company Profile

Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and artificial intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer support at scale.